Valentine's Boxes {Craft Project}

*This post was available as an Early Access offering from my Patreon page.  If you would like to get first access to free tutorials, patterns and more, please check it out!  https://www.patreon.com/AtmosphericNoiseStudios 

Everyone has been there.  It's the night before Valentine's day and you need a box to take to school and receive all your treats in, but you didn't plan ahead and now you need to rush to cobble something together.  I'm here to tell you, it doesn't need to be difficult and you can make something cool with materials you have in your own house.

Valentine's Boxes Craft Project


Materials Needed:

A cereal box
Brown Kraft paper
Stickers or colored papers
Scissors
Glue



Start with your cereal box and cut a hole where ever you would like people to insert the Valentines.  We did ours on the front side of the box.


Wrap the box in Kraft paper like you would a present, but apply glue under the paper so it adheres to the box.  Find the hole you cut in the cardboard box and cut a slit in the middle of it.


Fold the paper into the box and glue down for a nice opening.


Let your child use their imagination and place stickers, paper cutouts and draw on the box as they want to.
I added a piece of ribbon to the top of the box to serve as a carrying handle.




Enjoy your Valentine's box that you made in less than an hour!!


Trying Something Weird and New

 I've been experimenting with different techniques lately and one of the things that I've been interested in is combining yarn with resin.  I ran a few experiments and wanted to share them with you here!

I started with a scrap pink granny square that I had lying around, a grey star and a hank of really crazy yarn that I wasn't sure how I would use in any other way.  I chose a square mold that will fit the granny square perfectly, to test how it would look in the square, I am just choosing to see if I can harden the star with resin and how it looks, and for the crazy yarn, it's going into an orb to see how it reacts.





I'm going to start by saying that the results were not what I was expecting. Each yarn seemed to have a different reaction to the resin, with some interesting effects.

First up, the granny square.  As the yarn absorbed the resin, it took on this translucent effect that I was not expecting.  If you notice, the whole color of the yarn changed to a totally different pink! I am wondering if I can seal the yarn in any way - starch, some spray sealant?  I actually like the effect that happened, but I would like to know if there is any way to preserve this kind of yarn.  


The grey star.  This one I just wanted to see what would happen if I coated the shape in resin.  The color changed somewhat, darkening with the resin application... but the shape was retained.   It is very hard, and interestingly enough, you can still see the fiber details of the piece.


Last up, the orb.  I only took a few strands - a blue, ,a green, a pink and an orange, soaked them in resin and placed them in the orb, filling it further with resin.  This one came out completely dark, but had some really interesting aspects to it.  I want to try this again with less yarn, to see if it looks more interesting in the orb.  I struggled here again with resin bubbles.... which I believe is just telling me that I need to go ahead with my purchase of a vacuum chamber if I want to keep trying interesting experiments like this one.





I'm not really calling any of the pieces here a total success.  I do like the granny square and I'm currently using it as a coaster.  The star may find its way on to some three dimensional piece of art that I have yet to create... but the orb is going on the pfft shelf in my studio, where it might become something else, or it might just sit there as a dusty relic of something I once tried.  

I think there will definitely be more experiments in this realm, once I get the vacuum chamber.  I think mixing in this type of medium really requires that total removal of bubbles, especially some of the shapes I'm creating.  

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks chaos!!

My Pattern Experience: INSULATE Hat




First off, as a huge Doctor Who nerd, I have knit and crocheted many a Doctor Who item - his scarf, a pair of Tardis socks and a double-sided knit quilt that has been the bane of my existence for YEARS.  

This hat did not require years.  I whipped this up and was so excited to wear it.  I love the length, as it can hold my hair, and the sizing is perfect.  It's also simple enough that people who aren't nerds won't immediately call you out on being a nerd.

I give this pattern a 5/5 stars just because of how awesome it is!

Arrow Dishcloth Crochet Pattern {Free}


Arrow Dishcloth Crochet Pattern

Using a US size G hook, ch 27.

Row 1: dc in 4th ch from hook (counts as dc), dc in next 4 ch, {ch 1, sk 1 ch, dc in next 5 ch} across to last ch, dc in last ch; turn – 22 dc & 3 ch-1 sp

Row 2: ch 1, sc in next 6 dc, {ch 1, sk ch-1 sp, sc in next 5 dc} across to initial ch 3, sc in top of ch 3; turn – 22 sc & 3 ch-1 sp

Row 3: ch 3 (counts as dc), {rpst in next sc, dc in next 3 sc, lpst in next sc, ch 1, sk ch-1 sp} across to last sc; rpst in next sc, dc in next 3 sc, lpst in next sc, dc in last sc; turn – 4 Vs made

Rows 4-19: Repeat rows 2 & 3.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Abbreviations

ch – chain
sc – single crochet
dc – double crochet
sk – skip
sp – space
yo – yarn over
rpst – right post stitch
lpst – left post stitch
Unique Stitches

Right Post Stitch

Yo; insert hook in next sc, yo, pull through, yo, pull through 2 loops; yo twice, sk next sc, insert hook around post of the center dc 2 rows below, yo, pull through, {yo, pull through 2 loops} twice; yo, pull through all loops on hook.

Left Post Stitch

Yo twice; insert hook around post of the same right post stitch 2 rows below, yo, pull through, {yo, pull through 2 loops} twice; yo, insert hook in next sc, yo, pull through, yo and pull through 2 loops, yo, pull through all loops on hook



**This pattern was available first to supporters at my Patreon site.  If you would like to get access to free patterns and tutorials first, and a whole library of crochet and graph patterns, visit my patreon today! **

What's the deal with my Patreon?

 Art takes a lot of work, ya'll.

Everything I do, from drawing to pattern creation, takes hours of my time to develop, test and post for your enjoyment.

It costs money to host the websites, buy the materials for testing and tutorials, and store the files.

I have never been looking to get rich from my art and fiber work, all I really want is to be able to create even more and put it out into the world to share with all of you.  This is why I have always kept my paid patterns at a low price and made sure to offer plenty of free items and tutorials here on this blog.  

I started to get intrigued by the idea of sponsorship- how could I bring people along with me on my artistic journey?  To this end, I decided to start a Patreon page; a place where people could support the work I do, enable me to do more work, and contribute to my ideas along the way.  To make it worth the investment, I have compiled an ever growing library of my patterns that's are available to everyone who supports me at the Intermittent Noise level and above.  (See below for the current library contents)  On my Patreon site, I post exclusive tutorials, behind the scenes and open questions about what I should work on next, just for my supporters.   

The higher tiers receive a special mailer from me every month!  This month, the Art tier received one of a kind mono-prints and the Yarn tier received yarn, a fun pattern and some super cute handmade crochet accessories!

It is my hope that together we can build an eclectic art community, inspiring each other to grow and learn about fiber arts and more, that I can provide you with even more patterns and tutorials, and that I can have a sustainable model for all of this work.

I hope you'll choose to come join me today!


I currently have four tiers of membership:

Ambient Noise - $2/month
  • Access to all the Patron only update posts
  • Early Access to all public posts
  • Access to the Discord community.
Intermittent Noise - $5/month
This tier gets you everything in the Ambient Noise tier, PLUS
  • Access to a library full of crochet patterns, graph charts, printables, templates and MORE amazing digital items
  • When my studio is all ready, I will be hosting a once a month "Studio Chat" live only for members of this tier or higher, where I'll be creating art live and chatting with you all!
Impulsive Noise - Art Tier - $15/month
This tier gets you everything in the Ambient Noise and Intermittent Noise tiers, PLUS
  • Once a month art mailer (this could be jewelry, a print, a trinket, or something else cool I arted JUST FOR YOU!)
  • 10% discount code for any purchases on my Etsy shop!
*please note, I will eventually cap this tier, so get in while you can!

Impulsive Noise - Yarn Tier - $15/month
This tier gets you everything in the Ambient Noise and Intermittent Noise tiers, PLUS
  • Once a month crochet mailer (filled with all sorts of crochet goodies, varies by month, but could include patterns, yarn, hooks, and other accessories)
  • 10% discount code for any purchases on my Etsy shop!
*please note, I will eventually cap this tier, so get in while you can!


Library Contents (updated 1/9/2024)

Crochet Patterns:
Leaves Scarf
So Many Shapes Blanket 
Gingerbread Boy or Girl Hat
Penguin Hat
Reindeer Hat
Santa Pom and Peppermint Swirl Hat
Snowman Hat
Hello Kitty Hat
Shark Hat

Graph Patterns:
Batman Afghan
After All this Time chart
Camera Chart
Flamingos Chart
Just Start Chart
Om Chart
Rainbow Chart
Sugar Skull Chart
Twinkle Twinkle Chart
Two Tone Heart Chart
Wood Grain Heart
Namaste Chart
Huskers Blanket
Transformers Chart

Vintage Patterns:
Big and Little Crochets
The Gypsy Vest
The Gypsy Crochet Thing
Midi Skirt
Tote Bag from This 'n' That
At Home Vest and Pants
Tree Potholder
Penguin Potholder
Christmas Tree Potholder
Reindeer Filet
Snowman Potholder
Galaxy Bedspread 1938
Charleston Afghan 1951

New patterns are added to the library every month!!